Opinion Diego Maradona’s watch, stolen from Dubai, has been recovered in Assam. There’s a travelogue there

During the witching hours on Saturday morning, in a corner of Sivasagar district in Assam, the police conducted a raid. They were after an artefact that, for many, is almost a sacred relic: A watch that sat on a historic wrist, touching as it did, the Hand of God. The single edition Hublot wristwatch, likely worth over Rs 20 lakh, was allegedly stolen along with some other items from the Dubai premises that Diego Maradona frequented. He died on November 25, 2020.

The Assam police leadership and even Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are understandably chuffed. After all, it’s not every day that a provincial Indian police force makes global headlines for the right reasons. The raid took place after police authorities from Dubai informed Indian central agencies that an Assamese resident who worked as a security guard where Maradona used to often stay was the likely culprit. The Assam police was the executing agency on the ground.

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But what is more interesting than how the culprit was caught is the crime itself. Did the thief know what he had, and who it had belonged to? Was he, like so many across India — but more so in the football-loving East and Northeast — a diehard fan who just wanted to relish a piece of memorabilia from one of the most artistic and skilled players of all time? If the Hublot could do more than tick, if it could talk, what a story it would tell. From being photographed at the World Cup to being transported to rural Assam; from the hyper-modern oasis that is Dubai to the muggy east — there’s quite a travelogue there. Of course, maybe the alleged thief just did it for the money. Yet, for those who worshipped Maradona, flaws and all, it’s an opportunity to weave a few more tales around the legend.

This editorial first appeared in the print edition on December 14, 2021 under the title ‘A relic’s journey’.